Safety talks by month
September safety topics for plants and warehouses
September is National Preparedness Month, run by FEMA's Ready Campaign, and the Atlantic hurricane season peaks on September 10. That makes it the month to take the emergency plan out of the binder and test the parts people forget. Those parts are who shuts down what, who counts heads and who can use an extinguisher. Flu vaccination starts now too.
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Print 30 toolbox talks, one page each
For plants and warehouses, with a sign-in sheet. Free after one short form.
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September dates and observances
Only observances confirmed on the organiser's own page are listed, each with its owner and a link. Where a date moves from year to year, the year is given. Check the source before you print a calendar.
Where the dates fall in September
National Preparedness Month
All of September, each year since 2004
Peak of the Atlantic hurricane season
September 10
Days it can fall onDate set by the organiser each year
National Preparedness Month
When: All of September, each year since 2004
Who runs it: FEMA's Ready Campaign
Use it as the reason to walk through your own emergency plan.
Peak of the Atlantic hurricane season
When: September 10
Who runs it: NOAA National Hurricane Center
The statistical peak of the season. Coastal and inland flood-prone sites both plan for it.
Source for Peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (opens in a new tab)
8 safety talks for September
Each talk gives the hazard, words a supervisor can say at the start of a shift, one question to put to the crew, and the rule or guidance it rests on. Say it in your own words and wait for an answer to the question.
1. Who stays to shut down
The hazard: Some equipment cannot be walked away from. OSHA requires an emergency action plan to include procedures for employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate.
What to say: If your name is on the shutdown list, you know your steps and how long they take. Everyone else leaves at the alarm and does not go back to help.
Ask the crew: Whose job is it to shut down this line in an emergency, and who covers when they are off?
2. Your second way out
The hazard: Most people leave by the door they came in. OSHA requires the plan to cover the type of evacuation and exit route assignments.
What to say: Point to your assigned exit. Now point to the one you would use if that door were blocked. Walk the second route once this week.
Ask the crew: What would block your usual exit on a normal day?
3. Counting everyone, including visitors
The hazard: A headcount that covers only employees misses the driver in the dock office and the technician on the roof. OSHA's hurricane guidance calls for procedures to account for personnel, customers and visitors.
What to say: At the assembly point I count from today's roster and the visitor log. If you bring someone on site, sign them in so they are counted.
Ask the crew: Who was in the building today that is not on our roster?
4. Hurricane watch and hurricane warning
The hazard: The two words sound alike and mean different timings. OSHA describes a hurricane warning as conditions expected in the area, typically within 24 hours.
What to say: A watch means we check the plan and secure the yard. A warning means the plan is running and you follow what the site announces about shifts.
Ask the crew: What in the yard would become a projectile in high wind?
5. Who helps people out
The hazard: In smoke or noise, people follow whoever looks sure. OSHA requires the employer to designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation.
What to say: These are the wardens for this area. If the alarm goes, do what they say and keep moving. Wardens, check the restrooms and the mezzanine on your way out.
Ask the crew: Who is the warden on this shift, and who is the backup?
6. Before you pick up an extinguisher
The hazard: People grab an extinguisher they have never held. Where extinguishers are provided for employee use, OSHA requires training on their use on initial employment and at least annually.
What to say: If you have not been trained this year, your job in a fire is to raise the alarm and get out. I am booking the hands-on session now.
Ask the crew: When did you last discharge an extinguisher in training?
7. Open the first aid kit
The hazard: Kits get raided for bandages and nobody restocks them. OSHA requires adequate first aid supplies to be readily available.
What to say: Open the nearest kit today and tell me what is missing. If you take the last of anything, say so the same shift.
Ask the crew: Where is the nearest kit, and what did you last take from it?
8. Flu shot timing
The hazard: A flu outbreak can empty a shift in a week. CDC says September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated, and recommends a yearly vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.
What to say: Ideally get vaccinated by the end of October. If you are sick, tell me early so I can cover your job without overloading someone else.
Ask the crew: What makes it hard to get a flu shot around your shift?
Source: CDC, Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine (opens in a new tab)
A week-by-week plan for September
One way to spread the talks over the month. It is an example order, so move a talk when your own shutdown, weather or shift pattern says it belongs in a different week.
| Week | Talks | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Open National Preparedness Month with the plan itself. | |
| Week 2 | The season peaks on September 10. | |
| Week 3 | Run a drill this week and name the wardens in it. | |
| Week 4 | Restock kits and get ahead of flu season. |
Safety topics for every month
The year by month, with the hazards each month's talks are built around. For talks sorted by length and by workplace, go to the safety topics library.
The year in safety talks
Guides that go with these talks
FAQ
September safety topics, answered
It is an observance held each September and managed by FEMA's Ready Campaign. It has run since 2004 and asks households, communities and workplaces to plan for disasters and emergencies.
The National Hurricane Center gives September 10 as the peak of the Atlantic season, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. The season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Where an employer provides portable extinguishers for employee use, OSHA requires education on their use when a person is first employed and at least once a year after that.
Print 30 toolbox talks, one page each
For plants and warehouses, with a sign-in sheet. Free after one short form.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
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